Wasatch Front residents are breathing in smoke from wildfires in south-central Utah and the Grand Canyon area, according to the National Weather Service.
Smoke from the Monroe Canyon Fire in Sevier County and the Dragon Bravo Fire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon has blown north to the Wasatch Front, bringing reduced visibility and poor air quality.
National Weather Service’s Salt Lake City office estimated winds will change directions by Tuesday, and smoke will disperse from the area.
“We have two quite large fires and we see conditions similar to what we’ve seen in the past,” lead meteorologist Seth Warthen said. “If the winds keep their southerly pattern, the smoke will persist.”
The Utah Division of Air Quality reported that Monday morning levels of fine particulates, PM2.5, were in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range in Weber County, and in the “moderate” category along the I-15 corridor of Davis, Salt Lake and Utah Counties — as well as the eastern Utah counties of Carbon, Duchesne, Uintah and Wasatch.
On Monday, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration compiled by the website WillyWeather, most areas of Utah were experiencing winds coming from the south and southeast, though a few regions saw winds moving from the southwest.
The weather service reported that reduced visibility and lower air quality would continue Monday afternoon and evening in southern, central and eastern Utah — before winds are expected to change directions on Tuesday morning.
The Monroe Canyon Fire could bring more smoke to the Salt Lake Valley and surrounding areas, if wind patterns don’t change and the fire is not contained.
The fire, which has crossed into nearby Piute County, had doubled in size over the weekend, and as of Monday morning extended to 23,265 acres and has been 16% contained, according to Utah Fire Info.
Connor Maher, public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service, said dry conditions in the area caused the Monroe Canyon Fire’s “explosive growth” since Friday.
Around 1,000 firefighters, Maher said, “are on the ground as we try to contain the fire. … As we work on that, we will also go around the edges and start to extinguish the fire.”
AirNow — an air-quality app and website run by several federal agencies — advises people living in affected areas to reduce or cancel outdoor activities until the smoke clears.